Ontario to provide up to $7,500 per charger for employers looking to build electric vehicle charging stations

The incentive only applies to level 2 charging stations

Ontario employers now have a financial incentive to build electric vehicle (EV) charging stations in company parking lots.

As of January 16th, 2018, employers across Ontario can apply for the Workplace Electric Vehicle Charging Incentive Program (WEVCIP), a $5 million CAD fund aimed at encouraging employers to build EV charging stations in company lots.

The WEVCIP will provide employers with 80 percent of the capital required to install level 2 chargers — up to $7,500 CAD per charging space.

Level 2 chargers use a 240-volt system, and can typically fully charge EVs from empty in approximately four to eight hours.

While level 2 chargers are slower than level 3 chargers, level 2 chargers are ideal for employees who typically spend most of the day at their workplace.

“The electrification of transportation is happening fast, and the Ontario government is committed to building the necessary infrastructure to meet this demand,” said Steven Del Duca, Ontario’s minister of transportation, in a January 16th, 2018 media release. “By building more electric vehicle charging stations at workplaces across Ontario, we’re also encouraging more drivers to make the switch to an electric vehicle and building Ontario’s future.”

The WEVCIP is part of Ontario’s Climate Change Action Plan, and is available to employers on a first-come-first-served basis. It serves as a workplace-facing version of the Electric vehicle charging incentive program aimed at incentivizing EV charging stations at homes and businesses.

“Charging stations at workplaces will make it easier for people to choose electric vehicles and is one of the many ways we’re taking action to reduce harmful greenhouse gas pollution from transportation — the largest source of emissions in Ontario,” said Chris Ballard, Ontario’s minister of the environment and climate change, in the same January release.

According to the Government of Ontario, there are roughly 16,000 EVs on the road, and 1,300 public chargers available across the province.